Toy for forming bubbles



5, 1968 E. H. GALLOWAY 3,395,481

TOY FOR FORMING BUBBLES Filed March 10, 1966 .INVENTOR 472 055 flquomqr ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,395,481 TOY FOR FORMING BUBBLES Elizabeth H. Galloway, 4 Willow Bank Road, Georgetown, S.C. 29440 Filed Mar. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 533,393 7 Claims. (Cl. 46-6) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE I A toy for forming bubbles in which a casing, having a continuous-surfaced bore extending therethrough, is provided with the top fiat planar surface, intersected by the bore at a point disposed from the outer perimeter of the top surface, and having an area greater than the crosssectional area of the bore for accommodating the expanding hemispherically shaped bubble as air is displaced from the bore upon immersion of the casing in water.

This invention relates to a toy for use in a bathtub and more particularly to a toy for forming bubbles.

In an era of automation, the art of maintaining simplicity in the construction of toys has given way to increasing complexity. It is a broad object of this invention to provide a bubble-producing toy, simple in construction, which requires skill to operate and provides reward when successfully operated by a young child. In this connection, the toy described herein can be contrasted with the degree of skill required in bubble-forming devices such as wands and the like.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a device comprising a casing having top and bottom surfaces and a bore extending therethrough to be operated in combination with means for spreading a film of soap over the opening of the bore.

It is another object of this invention to provide a spreading means comprising a block having a substantially flat surface.

It is a further object of this invention to provide the casing described above with a substantially flat planar top surface intersected by the bore. Preferably, the planar surface, as measured from the bore outwardly, has a minimum width greater than the maximum width of the bore.

Likewise, it is an object of the invention to provide the casing with a design such as that of a duck wherein the block forms part of the design.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a device which can be successfully operated with regular hand soap, detergent, or commercial bubble preparation.

These and other objects of this invention are more clearly depicted in the following detailed description having specific reference to the attached drawings in which the embodiments of the invention are shown, not to limit the scope of the invention in any respect, but so that the principles thereof might be more clearly demonstrated.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the parts comprising the preferred embodiment of the bubble-producing toy;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic side elevational view ill-ustrating the method of using the apparatus shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the casing at two diiferent stages during the production of the bubble to illustrate one of the novel features of the invention; and

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of still another embodiment of the invention.

The preferred embodiment of the invention and a schematic illustration of its operation are depicted in FIG- URES 1 and 2. The bubble-producing toy comprises two parts, described broadly as a casing 12 and a block 14 without any reference to the shape and size of such parts. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the casing is shown as being cylindrical and the block as being rectangular.

The casing has an upper end and a lower end defined respectively by a top surface 16 and a bottom surface 18.

A bore 20, preferably circular, extends through the casing 12 intersecting the top surface 16 and the bottom surface 18. One of the surfaces of the casing, such as the top surface 16, preferably comprises a substantially flat planar surface.

The block 14 is used to spread a soap film over the bore. As such, it could take any configuration which would accomplish this objective, including even a wiper configuration. The preferable design of the block, however, includes a substantially flat surface 22 on the bottom of the block 14 to mate with the substantially fiat top surface 16 of the casing. Preferably, the area of the substantially flat surface 22 of the block is greater than the crosssectional area of the bore so that the flat surface of the block can completely cover the bore opening.

In operation, as schematically shown in FIGURE 2, soap is applied to the moistened top surface of the casing and/or the moistened bottom surface of the block. The block (wiper, or whatever configuration this soapspreading means takes) is slid across the top surface of the casing so as to spread a soap film over the bore opening. The casing is then lowered into the Water whereby air entrapped in the bore causes the soap film to form into a bubble 24 (more accurately, a half-bubble). The casing is lowered into the water until its top surface is contiguous with the surface of the water. Further depression of the easing into the water causes the bubble to be transferred onto the water surface. It then floats away, much to the delight of the child.

Obviously, various modifications in the operation of this device can be made. Such modifications might involve lowering the casing partially into the water before applying the soap film so as to decrease the amount of air entrapped in the bore.

It is readily apparent that this invention could be used with any type of soap, detergent, or commercial soap bubble solution. It is also apparent that various colors could be incorporated into the soap, detergent, or bubble solution. The particular type of soap product used will naturally affect the frangible characteristics of the bubble, as well as the ease of forming bubbles.

Heretofore, the casing 12 has been described as having a top surface 16, preferably substantially fiat. It is apparent that within this broad definition the top surface could have a variety of widths. Thus, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, the casing could be in the form of a tube 26 with the rim 28 providing the top surface. When a casing of this design is lowered into the Water with a soap film spread over the end of the bore, entrapped air will force the bubble into a partial spherical configuration having a total volume greater than a hemisphere, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. Thus, the maximum circumference of the sphere, as at 30, extends over the edge of the rim 28. When the tube is fully lowered into the water, the bubble, upon contacting the water, will flex outward into a hemispherical shape or half-bubble. This expansion action often fractures the bubble, leaving the child frustrated.

It has been found that it is preferable to have a casing with a top planar surface having a substantial width in relation to the width of the bore. As illustrated, the radial width 32 of the top planar surface is greater than the diameter of the bore. In view of the fact that the casing and bore may not be circular, this relationship can be expressed in terms of the minimum width 32 of the flat v 3 L planar surface being greater the bore. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, the initial depression'of the easing into the water causes a bubble to maintaining its hemispherical con-figuration. This feature of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 4. Consequently, when the bubble is transferred to the surface of the water, there is no sudden expansion of the bubble which might'cause itto fracture. 7

FIGURE 1 shows the casing and block means made out of wood, but his obvious that the casing and block means could be made of any other type of material, such as plastic, metal, ceramic, or the like. However, it is preferable to form these parts out of a material which has absorbent characteristics (for moisture and soap suds) thereby eliminating the need of resoaping the easing upon every use. This liquid-absorbent characteristic can be found in wood, but it will be appreciated that plastic materials can be formed to simulate the absorbent characteristics of wood.

It is also within the scope of the invention to form the casing into a variety of shapes. FIGURE illustrates one possible type of shape, namely, a duck 34 in which the back of the duck forms the top planar surface 36 with the block 38 forming a continuation of the top portion of the back of the duck. It will be appreciated that a configuration such as this, in which the block and casing form one integral figure, provides a convenient and attractive Way of storing the two parts when not in use.

While the toy described herein is primarily intended for use in a bathtub or the like, it is envisoned that larger models of the invention could be used in wading pools and other suitable bodies of water.

While a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated in the drawings and discussed above, it should be adequately clear that considerable modification may be made thereto without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing should be considered in an illustrative sense rather than a limiting sense, and accordingly, the extent of this invention should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy for forming bubbles comprising:

a casing having top and bottom surfaces, the top surthan the maximum widthb n ,4 1 f 3 face being a substantially fiat planar surface, the casing having a 7 single bore extending therethrough and intersecting the top and bottom surfaces of the casing, the bore being defined by a continuous surface, the top flat planar surface being intersected by the bore at a p'oint disposed from the outer perimeter of the top"s'ur'face,-the substantially fiat top planar surface of th'e'casing having an area greater than the cross-sectionalfarea of the bore, whereby the top -o pen end of the bore and at least a portion of the top flat planar surface are adapted to receive a film of soap so that upon immersion of the casing inwater, bottom first, air in the bore will be displaced by the column of water rising in the bore and a soap bubble 'will be formed which will retain a hemispherical shape by the bottom edge of the bubble adhering to the top flat surface of the casing and expanding radially outwardly from the bore upon displacement of air from the bore until the bubble is transferred to the surface of the water upon immersion ofthe top surface of the casing below the surface of the water.

2. The toy defined in claim 1 additionally comprising block means having a substantially flat surface for spreading a film of soap over the top opening of the bore.

3. The toy defined in claim 1 wherein the minimum width of the flat planar surface is greater than the maximum width of the bore.

4. The toy defined in claim 1 wherein the casing is made of absorbent material.

5. The toy defined in claim 4 wherein the absorbent material is wood.

6. The toy defined in claim 1 wherein the bore has a circular cross-section.

7. The toy defined in claim 2 wherein the casing is in the shape of a duck and the block means forms a continuation of the top portion of the back of the duck.

References Cited LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

